Fishermen from Arukattuthurai and Pusphavanam in Nagapattinam district went deep sea fishing in six boats. They were attacked by a group of 13 sea pirates from Sri Lanka on August 22. They took away equipment like GPS, walkie-talkie, fishing nets and other belongings from the TN fishermen. "The sea pirates spoke in Sri Lankan Tamil slang. They attacked the TN fishermen with deadly weapons, " said Palaniswami quoting the victims.

Similar incidents were reported in Vellapallam on the same day and a fisherman sustained injury in the incident, said Palaniswami and said that his party functionaries have been instructed to extend relief measures to the victims.

He slammed the DMK government for not reaching out to the affected fishermen and said that the AIADMK government formed a coastal security group to ensure the safety and livelihood of the fishermen. However, the unit is defunct due to the incompetent DMK government's poor administration. He demanded the state government to extend relief measures to the affected fishermen and equipment immediately.

Panneerselvam wrote a letter to External Affair Minister S Jaishankar over the issue and sought his intervention to find a permanent solution. "The fishermen community in TN is in a highly agitated mood and expected quick and decisive action by the Government of India. Fishermen Associations have also appealed to find a permanent solution to the issue that has hit their livelihood, " he said in the letter and requested the minister to ensure no such attack on the fishermen in the future.